Chest and shoulder weight lifting apparatus

ABSTRACT

Forearm support A ( 18 ) and forearm support B ( 20 ) partially encircle the forearm ( 24 ) of the human body. A main strap ( 22 ) runs parallel to the forearm over the palm of the hand and hangs below the elbow. D rings ( 19 ) attach to the main strap so the length can be adjusted. A clip ring ( 16 ) is connected to the main strap ( 22 ) below the elbow. A metal rod with a bracket or hole ( 14 ) at one end connects to the clip ring. The metal rod connects to a weight ( 10 ).

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/755,643, filed 2005 Dec. 30 by the present inventor.

FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH

Not Applicable

SEQUENCE LISTING OR PROGRAM

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of Invention

This invention relates to weight lifting, specifically to strengthening the chest and shoulder muscles of the human body.

2. Prior Art

Previously, the chest muscles were exercised with the conventional bench press. In this form of exercise, the weight lifter lies on a bench chest up. Columns come up from the bench and hold a long metal bar with weights on each end. The weight lifter grasps this bar, moves it off the rack and moves it down to his/her chest and back up again. This movement is repeated many times and is referred to as sets.

However, this exercise doesn't always exercise the chest muscles as desired. To lift the weights, smaller muscles that may not have strengthened as fast as other muscles are required to help support the weight while the weight lifter exercises the main muscles he/she desires to strengthen. If those supporting muscles don't develop as fast as the main muscle being exercised, muscle gains for the main muscle or muscles can be decreased. For example: during conventional bench press, the chest is the main target area for exercise. However, when the weight lifter moves the weights up and down, much stress is put on the triceps. The triceps are a much smaller muscle than the chest. If the triceps are not highly developed, it may be difficult to exercise the chest muscles effectively with the conventional bench press.

Likewise, the shoulder muscles were and still are commonly exercised with free weights that can be held in each hand. To perform one type of shoulder exercise, the user sits upright with forearms pointed up. He/she holds a weight in each hand and moves them up over his/her head and back down again. Sets are also performed with this type of exercise. However, the same problem occurs in this exercise as with the bench press. The tricep muscles may not develop as fast as the shoulder muscles which will limit the amount of weight the weight lifter is able to lift therefore compromising the effectiveness of the workout.

Safety is a concern in any type of weight lifting. With the bench press, a spotter is needed to stand behind the weight bench to make sure the weight lifter does not drop the bar on himself/herself. The safety bench pressing apparatus, U.S. Pat. No. 4,635,930 uses vertical columns to stop the weight should the user drop the bar while performing sets. However, even with the safety bench press, the weight lifter is still dealing with great amounts of weight that is positioned over him/her.

To solve some of the safety concerns and to create a more compact gym, weight lifting machines were created. Machines usually comprise of: a stack of weights in the center of the machine that move up and down, cables that attach to the weight, and stations where a weightlifter sits to perform sets. One type of chest exercise commonly used is the butterfly machine. The weight lifter's upper arms are positioned in line with each other and the forearms facing each other. Most machines have two metal bars that fold together much like the wings of a butterfly. The weight lifter pushes the bars together with the forearms to perform sets. However, such machines have only one set range of motion. For example, the weight lifter must push the bars together on the same path every time he/she uses it. As a result, the muscles will become used to this range of motion and the speed at which they strengthen will slow down. Weight lifting apparatuses known heretofore suffer from a number of disadvantages:

-   -   (a) With the exception of some machines, require supporting         muscles to help lift the weight thereby reducing the amount of         weight that is transferred to the main muscle(s) the weight         lifter wishes to exercise.     -   (b) With the exception of machines which locate the weight         remotely, the weight is positioned above the user. This creates         a safety concern because there is a chance the weight lifter         could drop the bar on himself/herself. Also, there is not always         a spotter who can help the weight lifter while he/she is         performing sets.     -   (c) Most weight lifting machines currently in use today have a         particular motion for exercising that cannot be altered. This         can cause a pattern in weight lifting that reduces the         effectiveness of the workout. When muscles are exercised in the         exact same way, over time, they become resistant to growth.     -   (d) Weight lifting machines are generally large, expensive, and         require assembly.

OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES

Accordingly, several objects and advantages of the invention are:

-   -   (a) to provide an apparatus that targets the muscles effectively         while reducing stress to as many supporting muscles as possible;     -   (b) to provide an apparatus that locates the weight below the         weight lifter therefore removing the safety risk of weight         falling on the weight lifter and removing the need for a         spotter;     -   (c) to provide an apparatus that has no predetermined range of         motion and allows the weight lifter to vary the motion with each         repetition;     -   (d) to provide an apparatus that is small and portable,         inexpensive, and does not require assembly.

Further objects and advantages are to provide an apparatus that is flexible enough to conform to the weight lifer's body without causing major discomfort during use, which is fully adjustable and allows the weight lifter to vary the amount of weight tremendously. Still further objects and advantages will become apparent from a consideration of the ensuing description and drawings.

SUMMARY

In accordance with the invention a system of straps comprises length of material, D-rings at one end, a hook and shaft with a hole at the top and a lip on the bottom at the opposite end.

DRAWINGS—FIGURES

FIG. 1 is the starting point of the pectoral exercise.

FIG. 2 is the midpoint of the pectoral exercise.

FIG. 3 is the maximum range of motion of the pectoral exercise.

FIG. 4 is the starting point of the trapezius exercise.

FIG. 5 is the midpoint of the trapezius exercise.

FIG. 6 is the maximum range of motion of the trapezius exercise.

REFERENCE NUMERALS

10 weight 12 bar 14 bracket 16 clip ring 18 forearm support A 20 forearm support B 21 bench 22 main strap 23 Pectoral muscle 24 forearm 25 trapezius muscle 26 D-rings 28 main strap (back) 30 hand

DETAILED DESCRIPTION—FIGS. 1A, 2A, AND 3A—PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

A preferred embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in FIG. 1A (side view) and FIG. 1B (perspective view) and FIG. 1C (top view). A main strap 22 consisting of strong flexible material that will conform to the user's forearm, encircles the forearm and hand running over the palm of the hand 30 down one side of the forearm, around the elbow, up the other side of the forearm, and connects to itself with D-rings 19. The D-rings are adjustable for different forearm lengths. Two supporting straps consisting of strong flexible material that will conform to the user's arm, forearm support A 18 and forearm support B 20 rest on the outside of the forearm and connect each strand of the main strap 28. In the preferred embodiment, the main strap and supporting straps are made of wide nylon strap. However, the main strap and supporting straps may consist of any other material that can conform to the user's body, bear a significant load, and be fastened together with other pieces of material to create necessary supports.

Below the elbow, a clip ring 16 is fastened to the main strap so that it hangs freely below the elbow. A bar 12 with a bracket 14 connects to the clip ring 16. This bar should have a plate (not shown in drawings) on the bottom. When weight 10 is lifted, the plate will keep weight from sliding off the bar.

OPERATION—PREFERRED EMBODIMENT—FIGS. 1A, 2A, and 3A

The manner of using the chest and shoulder weight lifting apparatus requires the user to lie on a bench 21 as shown in FIGS. 1A, 1B, and 1C. The elbows are pointed down, and the forearms are in an almost vertical position. While clenching the top of the main strap 22, the weight lifter moves the arms up in a circular or strait up motion. As the arms come up, the elbow will rotate out away from the body causing forearm support A 18 and forearm support B 20 to rest on the forearm and bear some of the weight. This design allows the weight to be transferred over three different points on the body, so that no one part of the body will have to bear the whole load. As the weight 10 comes off the ground FIG. 1B, the stress will be transferred to the pectoral muscle 23 by these three points: forearm support A 18, forearm support B 20 and the hand 30. Pectoral muscles continue to contract until the weight lifter has reached his/her maximum range of motion FIG. 1C. The bench may be strait, inclined, or declined. A strait bench will transfer the weight evenly to the whole pectoral muscle. An inclined bench will cause the stress of the weight to be transferred to the upper pectoral muscles. A declined bench will transfer most of the weight to the lower pectoral muscles. Sets should be performed with different amounts of weight depending on the weight lifter's ability.

OPERATION—ALTERNATIVE EMBODIMENT—FIGS. 4B, 5B, and 6B

Additional embodiments are shown in FIGS. 4, 5, 6; In each case, the weight lifter is standing or sitting upright with his or her chest perpendicular to the ground. The trapezius muscles are the main muscles being targeted in this exercise. The weight lifter clutches the top of the main strap 22 and lifts the weight strait up. As the weight moves up, the elbows move out. The weight is distributed across the hands and forearms by main strap 22, forearm support A 18, and forearm support B 20. The weight lifter's hands 30 continue to move up toward the head as seen in FIG. 5. In FIG. 6, the weight lifter has completed the ranger of motion for this exercise. He/she will then repeat the motion many times to exercise the trapezius muscles.

Advantages

From the description above, a number of advantages of my chest and shoulder weight lifting apparatus become evident:

(a) This device eliminates the need for a spotter (someone to help hold the weight should the weight lifter drop it on himself/herself) because it locates the weight below the weight lifter which, and eliminates the danger of huge amounts of weight falling on the weight lifter.

(b) By targeting the muscles intensely, a person can exercise muscles in a short amount of time.

(c) The use the different types of material such as fabric, nylon, leather, or other material will permit the display of multi-colored designs.

(d) The device provides an intense exercise for the muscles by targeting them individually and reducing as many supporting muscles as possible.

(e) Different angles of muscles exercise can be achieved simply by using a strait bench, an inclined bench, or a declined bench.

(f) Distributing the weight across several points of the body allows it to be held more securely than if the weight lifter were holding the weight with only his/her hands.

(g) The amount of weight being used can be increased or decreased easily.

(h) The device adjusts for people with different arm lengths.

(i) The weight lifter has complete control over his/her range of motion, and there is no set range of motion like most weight lifting machines have.

CONCLUSION, RAMIFICATIONS, AND SCOPE

Accordingly the reader will see that the chest and shoulder weight lifting device can be used to strengthen the muscles of the human body by concentrating most of the stress on the targeted muscles, provide a quick way to exercise and strengthen muscles, allow a safe way to exercise muscles without a spotter, and to provide an economical way to build muscle. Furthermore, the chest and shoulder weight lifting apparatus has the additional advantages in that

-   -   it isolates the muscle(s) to allow for short duration workouts;     -   it provides a surface that can easily be colored or printed on;     -   it reduces as many supporting muscles as possible; therefore         allowing for a more intense workout;     -   it provides variety for muscles exercises by changing the angle         of the bench;     -   it distributes the stress across several points of the body for         a more efficient workout;     -   it allows amount of weight to be changed easily;     -   it adjusts easily;     -   it does not limit the range of motion by means of a         predetermined range of motion.         While the above description contains many specificities, these         should not be constructed as limitations on the scope of the         invention, but as exemplifications of the presently preferred         embodiments thereof. Many other ramifications and variations are         possible within the teachings of the invention. For example, the         supporting points for the weight can be in different places, the         weight can be in many different shapes, the clips can have         several shapes, and the weight can be suspended in several ways         and/or be connected. The supporting straps can be set up in         several ways and may also be connected. Thus the scope of the         invention should be determined by the appended claims and their         legal equivalents, and not by the examples given. 

1. An apparatus for attaching weight to the arms of a human body, comprising: (a) a form of resistance to the muscles of a human being for the purpose of increasing muscle strength (b) a plurality of elongated support members of flexible material, and (c) means for joining said form of resistance to said elongated support members so that said form of resistance and said elongated support members may pivot at a connection point.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said elongated support members are connected in a way that would allow them to hold weight when attached to said arms of a human body.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said elongated support members are connected to said form of resistance to allow said arms of a human body to act against said form of resistance.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said form of resistance is connected to said elongated support members at said pivot point in a way that would allow said elongated support members and said form of resistance to be disconnected and reconnected.
 5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said form of resistance can be increased or decreased.
 6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said form of resistance is round with a hole in the center.
 7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein a pin with a lip on one end passes through said hole in said form of resistance.
 8. The apparatus of claim one wherein said pin is attached to said elongated support members with a clip.
 9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein length of said elongated support members may be adjusted. 